It is hard to believe that I have now been painting in a folk art style for over half of my life. What seemed like an experiment at the start seems now like a natural drawing together of many threads of my life; my traditional art style, my faith, and my fascination with our artistic and cultural history. Having taken my first lessons at the Philadelphia Art Museum before entering grade school, I can't remember life before art. I went on to earn a B.F.A. from Denison University. Then while working in an antique and decorating shop, I began painting naive portraits of children (real and imaginary).
In researching the portraits, I encountered other folk art forms: landscapes, still lifes, theorem paintings, stenciling and faux graining, needlework, sculpture, scherenschnitte, etc. I became fascinated with the stylizations, the colors, the textures, and the crackled and aged finishes. The feeling of peace, light-heartedness, and friendly openness I found there resonated with me.
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Birthday Friends Ecards
by Diane Ulmer Pedersen |
Last year I joined to become one of Pamela Gladding's "Friends of Pamela Artists" With animation and music added to my collection of images you now can enjoy both my Folk Art and my elegant animated greeting cards (ecards). View Diane's original paintings at her website
http://www.dianeulmerpedersen.com/
